


His "Son"

by FebruaryGemini



Category: Homestuck, Original Work, Star Wars
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 11:30:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21493582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FebruaryGemini/pseuds/FebruaryGemini
Summary: "You are not Omega," came Father's firm reminder. "She has every reason to be displeased."
Kudos: 1





	His "Son"

Nar Shaddaa had been a picnic compared to this. Probably because, on Nar Shaddaa, the illegal was encouraged and the immoral was expected. No one thought twice when a Kaminoan bought the hair from a Jedi's head for his 'son'.

Grey skin, black hair, scarlet and cobalt heterochromia, small and lithe, Psi, he was called, after the twenty-third letter of a language older than time itself.

Twenty third. There had been twenty-two others, and there promised to be one more. The Omega. The last. The _best_. The one that was not him. Yes, he was bitter. Even if he knew he had no good reason to be. Even if his father had shown him Nu, the first to have a lifespan of more than a few months. Bright white eyes stared at him with child-like rapture as dark grey hair floated around her.  
"Father, why is she in a bacta tank?"  
"She is there, Psi because she is delicate. Her body is not able to withstand the force of this atmosphere. Don't worry, my son, it is a problem I have remedied in you." The pride in his voice was unmistakable, but his reassurance was misplaced. Psi wasn't worried that he would have to spend his days in a tank, he was sorry that Nu did. He was sorry that she could never see more than what their father showed her.

Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, and Mu, the First Twelve, all died without ceremony. It wouldn't be long before Nu followed. Of the others, Xi, Omicron, and Pi lived in cages like animals while Rho and Sigma were treated more like small children. Tau disappeared months ago, Upsilon spent all her time with her books; and Phi and Chi were always working with some robot they built. Psi, as the 'oldest', was the only one being taught. Math, geography, science, history, fighting, but if there was one thing he learned it was that he was imperfect.

He would never be perfect. He could never be Omega. His father was proud of him, he was something to be proud of, but his shortcomings did not go unnoticed. Many times he had caught his father watching him study, studying him, like there was something wrong. He was a failed attempt at a puzzle his father was _this_ close to solving. A lot of things were right, but that only made what was wrong stand out farther.

Be grateful, that you are not Nu.  
Be sorry, that you are not Omega.

He was. Very much.

"Father, do you love me?"  
"Love? Yes, Psi, I do. As any artist loves their work."  
\-----------------------------------------------------------

He was eighteen when Upsilon knocked on his door. An oddity on three points. One, Upsilon never initiated contact with anyone. Two, there was a com unit in every room on purpose. Three, no one was supposed to disturb him when he was studying. So it was with an eyebrow raised that he pushed the button, and it only raised higher when the door hissed out of the way.

"Psi! Father is going to take you on a trip, I think it's because Calo Nord is here. He's not taking anyone else, I think he's leaving us to die. He's even abandoning Omega, I think it's serious. You're going to Metallos, I think you'd better take this." She held out an odd metal cylinder, not plasteel, real metal. Other than a raised black band spiraling over two-thirds of it and a small round button, it was just a shiny pole. About a foot long and an inch in diameter. Hand-held, easy to conceal, and surprisingly light.

If it had been anyone else he would have put it down as an over-active imagination, but Upsilon had a knack for knowing what was happening without being there. Sort of seeing the future, but it was the present. Seeing the present. So he knew he shouldn't doubt her, but this was out of the realm of possibility. Their father would never abandon Omega. Not for anything. No, not even then. "Upsilon... Father wouldn't do that."  
"He doesn't tell you everything, I think he's doing it."  
"Why?"  
"I told you, I think it's because Calo Nord is here."  
"No, I meant, 'Why is he running from Calo Nord?'"  
"He's running from a bounty hunter, I think it's because they told him not to make us."  
"Why would they tell him not to make us?"  
"I have no idea, I think we're dangerous. Father's coming up the lift, I think you should take this now. Don't let him see it, I think he would take it away."  
"If he would take it away it must be bad."  
"You need it, I think it'll save your life."

He never regretted trusting her, but he did wish he'd asked where she got it. Or at least what it was.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------

Nar Shaddaa had been a picnic compared to this. Probably because, on Nar Shaddaa, most of the population was on the run. It was an unspoken law not to interfere with either party. On Metallos however, no one was neutral.

Every face he passed on the way from the ship had the same look to it; as if it was hungry. "Come on," called the tram-man, "I've got a schedule to keep."

The rust-brown of the city sloped down and away from the window. He could hear his father on the comlink in the other room. "Yes, We're on Metallos. ... Psi, yes. ... What I have managed will last until She's ready. ... We had to leave in a hurry. It shouldn't take long to reassemble her. ... Alright. We'll be ready."  
\-----------------------------------------------------------

"Father?"  
"Yes, Psi?"  
"Why am I here?"  
Father sighed and shook his head. "Do you know how an artist improves their work, Psi? It is through trial and error. By creating The First Twelve I learned many things. Nu," he gestured to the tank in front of them, "was the result of what I learned, but she was far too delicate.  
"Next were Xi, Omicron, and Pi. They excelled in adapting but were mindless monsters, unthinking and wild. I stemmed this aggressive behavior in Rho and Sigma, but it left them as helpless as small children. Useless as weapons. Tau was the opposite, vicious and always looking for a fight. Eventually, he managed to escape me. Yet another failure.  
"With Upsilon I managed to stem her wild nature while keeping her cunning. Eager to learn as much as possible, but never willing to fight. I had the same issue with Phi and Chi, they refused to do anything more than increase their knowledge of robotics. And with you, Psi, I have succeeded thus far. But now it is the time to test you for live combat, and see where the final improvements can be made for Omega."  
"So I am only a test? The sketch an artist makes before finishing their work?"  
"Exactly Psi. All of you have been trial and error to achieve a single goal. The perfect weapon."  
"Why must you make a weapon?"  
"I was asked to."  
"By whom?"  
"No more questions, Psi. You have studies to attend to."  
"Yes, Father."  
\-----------------------------------------------------------

"Stand straight now, She'll be here any minute and we want to make a good first impression."  
"Don't fret, Father. She has no reason to be displeased with me." Granted, he still only knew 'Her' as the one who paid to have him made, but how could anyone be upset at the wonders his father had accomplished?  
"You are not Omega." Came Father's firm reminder. "She has every reason to be displeased."


End file.
